Further proof that the great football deity in the sky has a wicked sense of humor:

JaMarcus Russell is helping coach quarterbacks at his old high school.

For the benefit of you who have been cooped up in a biosphere for the past 12 years. Russell was a quarterback selected by the Raiders with the first pick in the 2007 NFL draft.

A bigger bust you will never see. At 6-foot-6 and as dense as a neutron star, Russell hardly fit the physical profile of your garden-variety signal caller. He had outsized stats to go with his stature  52 touchdown passes in 36 games at LSU, a 61.9 completion percentage, 332 passing yards in LSUs 2007 Sugar Bowl rout of Notre Dame.

Al Davis couldnt help himself come the draft. He picked Russell to the disappointment of head coach Lane Kiffin who had fancied receiver Calvin Johnson.

Russell disappointed both owner and coach by holding out his rookie year. Russell reported in time to play in four games, compiling a passer rating of 55.9.

In 2008 he started 15 games, losing 10, and compiling a rating of 77.1, 26th in the league.

In 2009 he was benched after losing seven of the nine games he started, and throwing 11 interceptions against three touchdowns. His weight and conditioning and his work ethic were cited when he was released in 2010.

A JaMarcus-sized asterisk here: For the entire time he was in the Raiders employ, the organization was so dysfunctional as to be straight out of a Mel Brooks movie.

He worked out for the Bears in 2013, and according to Sports Illustrated reached out to the Cowboys. As recently as 2016 he talked of a comeback, even offering to go play for free.

He hardly fits the emotional profile of a sympathetic figure. But he may be onto something with this coaching thing.

Its special to come back to my school (Williamson High in Mobile, Alabama) where it all started for me, Russell, who recently turned 33, told AL.com. Its a different generation now. I went to school with some of the parents of these kids. So thats a neat part of it from that side of things.

He has played at the highest levels, said Williamson head coach Dedrick Sumpter. JaMarcus is really going to help make our quarterbacks fundamentally sound.

Er, OK. Sorry, this is really new to those of us who watched, mouths agape, Russells attempt to grasp the Raiders offense. Or the mandatory weigh-ins. Then again, most of us would agree that were not the same person at 33 than we were at 22.

I never thought I would want to do this, but it just came to my heart, Russell told Al.com. There comes a time in your life when you have done so many things, and you just want to give back. Right now, the best thing for me is to continue to help my community thrive in any way I can.

I just want to relay what I know, what Ive seen as a player to help on offense, defense, as the water boy, whatever, he said. Im here to help the team get better in any way that I can.